Cabinets for electrical equipment are well known as such. In this respect, "electrical equipment" is to be understood in a broad sense, covering such apparatus as telephone substations and other telephone-related or telecommunication equipment, electrical power distribution substations or switching, transforming or distributing equipment, electrical storage battery or other emergency back-up systems, automated teller machines (ATMs) and other electronic equipment housed in cabinets that may, for instance, be free-standing outdoors.
In practice, such cabinets are made of heavy-gauge steel or similarly strong materials that successfully resist hurricane-force calamities as far as top, side and rear walls are concerned. However, doors have continued to be a problem even with strong outdoor cabinets.
This is particularly serious in the case of such apparatus as telephone substations and other telephone-related apparatus or telecommunication equipment, electrical power distribution substations or switching, transforming or distributing equipment, electrical storage battery or other emergency back-up systems, which serve large areas and need to be relied on especially in emergency situations. In a similar vein, automated teller machines (ATMs) and other electronic equipment are inherently vulnerable and can damage assets of a large number of people when invaded or abused.
The state of the art of outdoor cabinets for electrical equipment is exemplified by what has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,058, entitled "Service Pedestal," by Wallace D. Tessmer, issued Jan. 3, 1995.
In particular, that prior patent in FIGS. 1, 2, 13, 17 and 19, for instance, discloses a cabinet door system comprising a hinged inner door 101 on an interior cabinet space containing circuit breakers, and a hinged exterior door 94. The inner door has a generally rectangular cutout 103 to provide egress for the circuit breakers with exposure of their actuating levers.
The exterior door 94 of that prior patent is solid and has a gasket 96 around its edges which serves to keep moisture out.
Exterior doors of such kind of free-standing or outdoor cabinets are particularly hard hit by larger objects having become airborne in hurricane-force calamities. In this respect, "hurricane-force wind" is a well known term of art referring to a wind, not necessarily a hurricane, having a very high speed, typically above 70 miles per hour or 30 meters per second. Accordingly, a hurricane-force calamity is intended to cover hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, typhoons and the like, and is intended to extend to forces of similar magnitude exerted accidentally or intentionally by vehicles or vandals or otherwise by mischievous humans or animals of all kinds.